Furnace



1931. w. c. STEINHORST ET AL 1,834,983

FURNACE Filed March 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5. 'eg C SE 2 INVENTOR WQSW .W&W

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 8, 1931 WILLIAM C.

STEENHORST AND HENRY 0.

PATENT OFFICE STEINHORST, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, AS-

SIGNORS TO EMIL STEINHOBST' & SONS, INC., 01? UTICA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION FURNACE Application filed March 14, 1929.

This invention relates to warm air furnaces and is particularly designed for such furnaces using fluid fuel, that is gas or oil fuel.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a warm air furnace of the fluid fuel type of new and improved construction and of a form which is economical and simple to manufacture and eflieientand durable in use. A further purpose is to provide a fluid fuel burning and warm air heating furnace where the parts are so constructed, combined and coordinated as to be adapted to transfer a very hi -h percentage of heat from the burning fuel to the air to be warmed by the furnace.

- A further object of the invention is to provide in a furnace of the class described a construction where the lines, meaning thereby the fine headers and flue pipes hereinafter described in detail, are so constructed that they may be assembledin larger or smaller units and such units thereafter assembled upon or adjacent to the combustion chamber; and further to provide a construction wherein the said flues are adapted to be conveniently supported within the casing of the furnace and accessible for internal cleaning of the flues without removing the casing; and further to have the ends of said flues that are adjacent the casing detachably mounted 011 or secured to said casing and to have registering holes in the flue ends and the casing so that said clean-out apertures may be normally closed by caps placed upon the furnace from without the casing. Further purposes and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification and claims herein.

Fig. l is a perspective view of a warm air furnace embodying this invention.

Fig. :2 is a similar perspective view of said furnace but with most of the casing removed, but with a vent pipe or smoke pipe still attached to the furnace.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view partly on a horizontal line just below the top of the combustion chamber and with the farther half of the furnace shown on the slanting plane of the lower series of fines.

- Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of part Serial No. 347,114.

of the furnace on line r of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings in a more particular description, it will be seen that this furnace comprises a combustion chamber 10,

fluid fuel burners 11 located in the lower part thereof and a system of flues generally denoted by the numeral 12, leading from opposite sides of the combustion chamber downwardly in .a zigzag direction but generally parallel to the sides of the combustion chamber and opening into the vent or smoke pipe 13. Around and over this combustion chamber and system of fines is placed the casing, generally denoted by the numeral 14, and arranged to conduct the incoming cold air from the inlet 15 upwardly close to the combustion chamber and close to and in repeated or successive contact with the flue headers and flue pipes to the upper part of the casing from which the air is conducted by ordinary warm air conduits 16.

The combustion chamber 10 is conveniently formed out of sheet metal so as to be preferably roughly rectangular in shape, so that the combustion chamber is higher and longer than the width of the chamber, resulting in having two relatively long high opposite sides 17, front and back ends 18 and 19 respectively, bottom 20 and a top 21.

This combustion chamber will be suitably supported above the base 22 as by a plurality of legs 23. In the bottom of the combustion chamber are placed the desired number and type of fluid fuel burners 11. In the drawings two such burners adapted for burning are shown and these burners are supplied by gas through pipes 50 leading outwardly from the combustion chamber through a vestibule Q l to a point without the casing where said pipes are connected to the main supply pipe 25 provided with Valves and regulating apparatus, the details of which need not be described here. 7

In order to afford greater surface for radiation of heat from the sides of the combustion chamber and for greater area to be engaged by the ascending current of air to be heated, the greater part, say the forward three fourth or four fifths of the wide, high cated on each side of the chamber an upper -flue header 27. This header consists of a short tubular branch 28 extending outwardly i. from the side 17 of the combustion chamber to the main longitudinally extending portion 29 ofsaid-header, which main portion 29* will preferably be formed circular in shape and slanting to be smaller at its rear end than "at its forward end 30. The rear end of this upper header is preferably open for its full diameter. Said rear end ofthe header projects rearwardly' into line with the back 31 of the casing 14. This open end of the header 27 is normally closed by a removable or detachable cap 32 applied from without the said casing so as to cover the open rear end of said header, it being understood that the rear'31' of the casing is cut away for the extent of the diameter of-the rear opening of the header. The cap 32 is removably held in place as'bythumb nuts 33 placed at the outer surface of the cap and engaging the forward screw-threaded ends of short rods 34 secured to the opposite sides of the body of the header 27 and projecting rearwardly through small holes conveniently formed in the rear 31 of the casing, and through aligned holes inthe cap 32 near its periphery.

It will be understood that the'portion of the 'side 17 of the combustion chamber opposite the tubular branches 28 of these two headers are cut away so that free communication is given from the inside of the combustion chamber to said header.

From the upper flue header 27 on each side of the combustion chamber the products of combustion are led forwardly and down- 'wardly through a plurality of forwardly extending and downwardly slanting flue pipes 35. The forward ends of each upper series of flue pipes are connected to the upper half of the rearward face 36 of the front or intermediate flue headers 37 on that side of the combustion chamber.

These front flue headers are conveniently shaped to be in the form of a truncated cone with the small end thereof towards the front of the furnace. Said forward end of this header is open and is in the plane of the front 38 of the casing, which casing is cut away opposite said front open end of the v header. Upon the opposite sides of this header 37 are forwardly projecting screw' threaded rods39 projecting through the front 5 38 of the casing. By means ofthese rods slant downwardly being spaced from the adjacent side17 of the combustion chamber and substantiallyparallel therewith. The

'rear and lower ends of the pipes in this second series 42 are connected to the front larger end 43 of a third or lower rear flue header 44. The body of this header is preferably formed to taper towards its rear end 45 and said rear end projects out through a suitable hole cut in the rear 31 of the casing. The said projecting rear ends 45 of the two headers 44 are connected to the branch, vent pipes 13a which soon unite into'the'main vent pipe 13 leading to the stack or chimney (not shown). v e

It will beseen that the system 12 of lines on each side of the combustion chamber may be conveniently assembled as a'unit consisting of the upper rear flue header 27 upper series of flue-pipes 35, front flue header 37 and rear or second series of flue pipes 42 and lower rear header 44. Each said side system of fiues'will-then be readily connected to the combustion chamber by connecting the inner end of theshort tubular branch 28 of the upper flue header 27 to its side of the combustion chamber; Each forward flue header 37 is supported by resting on an arm 47 secured to the front of the combustion chamber'and extending beneath a flat-bottomed boss 48 on the flue header but with said arm not fastened to the boss wherebythe header is supported independently of the casing but some slight.

relative movement between the arm and header is permitted as the parts of the furnace "expand and contract. An arm 49 projects from the rear of the combustionchamber beneath eachrear lower header 44 to similarly support this header and the parts attached thereto independently of .the casing.

. A little below the openings from the combustion chamber into the. upper rear flue headers 27 there is placed and fixedly supported in. position within the combustion chamber a baffle plate 46. This baflie plate ex- .tends from theback end 19 of the combustion chamber forwardly substantially on a horizontal plane nearly to the front end 18 of the combustion chamber. This baffle plate operates to hold the gases from combustion for rear of the combustion chamber and then pass its of the baflie plate. These small direct upwardly traveling currents tend to keep the products of combustion spread out within the combustion chamber below the bafiie plate and also tend to thoroughly commingle the products of combustion again above the baffle plate, thus bringing as much heat as pos sible to the side walls of the combustion chamber. From each upper rear header 27 the products of combustion are separated into several small currents passing forwardly and downwardly through the first series of line pipes 35. These flue pipes are of relatively small diameter and are parallel with the side walls 17 of the combustion chamber. ()n account of the smallsize of these flue pipes the products of combustion are afforded an opportunity to give up their heat to the relatively large area of the said pipes to the air which ascendsin the furnace between the side walls 17 of the combustion chamber and the closely adjacent side walls of the casing. After the products of combustion reach the forward flue headers 37 the different currents from the first series of flue pipes are united and commingled and then are again separated into the several pipes of the lower series 42 of line pipes. Here in these pipes again a free opportunity is afforded for the products of combustion to yield up their heat throu h the relativel lar e area of the flue b o o i pipes 42 to the ascending current of air to be warmed. By the time the "as products of combustion reach the lower series 42 of flue pipes their heat is reduced but still high and and the adjacent side of the casing and cause the ascending air to be diverted in its direction two or three times as it passes said iiue pipes; In other words the upper pipes of the series 42 will be offset relative to the lower pipes of that series so that air coming up between the two lower pipes will bebrought directly against one of the pipes in the upper half of this series.

The space between the back 19 of the combustion chamber and the back 31 of the casing is restricted so as to allow relatively little air to pass upwardly at this point, and so divert most of the air to the sides of the combustion chamber. However, the air passing upwardly at the rear of the combustion chamber is heated by contact with and radiation from the back 19 of said combustion chamber. The upper rear flue headers 27 and the lower rear flue headers 44 occupy a large portion of the cross area at the two rear corners of the casing and so retard the upward current of air at those two points sufficiently to allow the air passing by said flue headers to absorb the heat from said flue headers, the upper one of which particularly is at the highest temperature of any of the flue system.

At the front of the combustion chamber the vestibule 24 obstructs the direct ascent of air directly in front of the combustion chamher and thus diverts the air to the two sides. Above the level of this vestibule however the ascending air is heated by contact with and radiation from the front end 18 of the combustion chamber and at the two front corners of the casing by contact with the extended surfaces of the two intermediate headers 37.

It will now be seen that this invention provides a simple form of warm air furnace of the fluid fuel burning type and one that is particularly simple in construction as far as the combustion chamber and fines are concerned, and yet has such combustion chamber and fines so arranged and combined as to absorb or extract a very large percentage of the heat from the products of combustion and thus obtain a fluid fuel furnace which is commercially economical in operation notwithstanding the relatively high cost of the fuel used in the furnace.

Furthermore it will be noticed that notwithstanding the relatively large area of fines and the number of flue pipes and flue headers used, all of the parts of the flue system are accessible for cleaning by simply removing the removable caps 32 and from the outer side of the casings and without having to dismantle the furnace at all or remove any of the casing. Similarly access if desired to the lower rear flue header 44 may be readily had through disconnecting the vent pipe 13 from the projecting ends 45 of said rear lower flue headers.

lVhat is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a warm air furnace, the combination of an outer casing, a combustion chamber extending from near the base of the casing to near the top of the casing, and having its side walls vertically corrugated, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the combustion chamber, lines within the casing and communicating with'the side of said-combustion chamber near its upper part and slant ng continuously downwardly 1I1 a zigfzag course towards one endof the chamber and spaced from and parallel with the said side of said chamber, a vent pipe leading from the lower end of said fines to the chimney, an inlet for 'cold'air near the base of the casing and means connected to the upper part of the casing "for conducting the warm air from the furnace.

i 2.,111 a warmair furnace, the combination of, an outer casing, a combustion chamber extending from near the base of the casing to near the top of the casing and-having its side walls vertically corrugated, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the combustion chamber,

fines within the casing and communicating with-one side of said combustion chamber near its upper part near one end and slanting continuously downwardly towards the other end of-the combustion chamber and spaced therefrom and parallel with the said side ofsa'id chamber and then returning in a continuously downward slanting direction towards the first mentioned endcof the chamber and still spaced therefrom and parallel with the said side of said'chamber, a vent pipe leading from the lower end of said fines to the chimney, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing and means connected to the upper part of the casing for conducting the warm r- 1 all II'OITI thefurnace. v

3. In. a warm air furnace, the combination of an outer casing a combustion chamber extending from near thevbase of the casing to near the top of the casing, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the combustion chamber, fiu'eswithin the casing and communicating with one side of ,said combustion chamber near its upper part near one end .andslanting continuously downwardly towards the other end of the combustion chamber and parallel with'said side and spaced therefrom and then returning towards the first mentioned end of the chamber and still parallel with said side and spaced therefrom and slanting downwardly, a vent pipe "leading from the lower end of said fines to the chi1nney, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing and means connected to theupper part .of the casing for conducting thewarm air "its" upper part near one end and'slanting downwardly and on Oppositesides thereof to:

- wardsthe'other end of the combustion cham- "ber and spaced therefrom and parallel with said sides and then returning towardsthe first end of the chamber and still spaced therefrom and I parallel to said sides and slanting downwardly, a vent pipe leading from'the lower end of said fines to the chimney, aninlet for cold air near the base of the casing and means connected to the upper part of the casing for conducting the warm air from the furnace. I I,

5. In a warm air furnace, the combination of an outer casing acombustion' chamber extending from near the base of the casing to .near the top of thecasingand having its side walls vertically corrugated, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the combustion chamber, fines within thecasing and on the opposite sides of the combustion chamber and communicating with said combustion chamber near its upper part near one end and slanting continuously downwardly and on opposite sides thereof in a zig-zag course towards one end of the chamber and spaced therefrom and parallel with said sides, a vent pipe leading from the lower end of said fines to the chimney, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing and means connected to the upper part of the casing for conducting the warm air from the furnace.

6. In a warm air furnace the combination of an outer casing a combustion chamberextending from near the base of the casing to near the top of the casing, and having its side walls vertically corrugated, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the chamber, a fine header communicating with one broad side of said combustion chamber near its upper part near one endthereof and projecting out- 'wardly therefrom a plurality of fine pipes in staggered arrangement extending from said header in a slanting direction towards the other 'end of the chamber andspaced therefrom and from each other and parallel to the said broad side of said chamber, a second series of fine pipes in staggered arrangement below said first series and slanting downwardly towards the first end of the chamber and parallel withsaid side, a sec- 0nd header connecting the lower ends of the upper series of pipes with the upper ends of the lower series of pipes, a third header into which lead the lower ends of the lower series of pipes, a vent pipe leading from said third header to the chimney, said casing surrounding said combustion chamber, headers and flue pipes, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing andmeans connected to the fiue header on each opposite side of said chamber communicating with said combustion chamber near its upper part and projecting outwardly therefrom, a plurality of flue pipes in staggered arrangement extending from each of said headers in a downwardly slanting direction towards one end of the chamber and spaced therefrom and from each other and parallel with said sides of the combustion chamber, asecond series of flue pipes in staggered arrangement on each side below said first series and slanting down- Wardly towards the opposite end of the chamber parallel with said sides, a second header on each side connecting the lower ends of the upper series of pipes with the upper ends of the lower series of pipes, a third header on each side into which lead the lower ends of the lower series of pipes, a Vent pipe leading from said third headers to the chimney, said casing surrounding said combustion chamber, headers and flue pipes, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing and means connected to the upper part of the casing for conducting the warm air from the furnace.

8. In a warm air furnace the combination of an outer casing a combustion chamber extending from near the base of the casing to near the top of the casing,and having its side walls vertically corrugated, fluid-fuel burners in the lower part of the chamber, a flue header on each opposite side of said chamber communicating with said combustion chamber near its. upper part and projecting outwardly therefrom, a plurality of flue pipes extending'from each of said headers in a slanting direction towards one end of the chamber and spaced therefrom and from each other and parallel with said sides of the combustion chamber, a second series of flue pipes on each side below said first series and slanting downwardly towards the opposite end of the chamber parallel with said sides, a second header on each side connecting the lower ends of the upper series of pipes with the upper ends of the lower series of pipes, a third header on each side into which lead the lower ends of the lower series of pipes, a vent pipe leading from said third headers to the chimney, said casing surrounding said combustion chamber, headers and flue pipes, an inlet for cold air near the base of the casing, means connected to the upper part of the casing for conducting the warm air from the furnace, and detachable caps on the open outer ends of said first and second named headers which caps are removable and replaceable from without the casing whereby said headers and their attached flue pipes are accessible for cleaning.

In witness whereof we have aifixed our signatures, this 26th day of February, 1929.

WILLIAM C. STEINHORST. HENRY O. STEINHORST. 

